If you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve finally reached my favorite time of the year. Gone (for the most part) are the 90-degree days that leave me grouchy and praying for a breeze, or pool water that doesn’t feel like stepping into warm soup. And the days of pumpkins (and pumpkin spice lattes), chillier weather and haunted houses have begun. I’ll wait until you’re done cheering to continue…

I love horror movies, haunted houses (both real and imagined) and creepy things in general – with the exception of spiders. Funnily enough, I have only been to one haunted house in my life, when my friend won tickets from 99X to some lame haunted warehouse off Indian Trail back in the 90s. Neither the radio station nor the haunted house is there now – which speaks to how lame they were – but there are plenty of others to choose from.

Of course the one everyone raves about it Netherworld Haunted House in Norcross. It seems to get spookier every single year (from what I hear, since no one will go with me, and I am certainly not going to a haunted house alone), and from their website, it appears that they hold nothing back. Plus, they’ve been around since 1997 and they consistently get voted the best haunted house around. Not too shabby.

If you want more along the lines of freaky and perverse, then the Chambers of Horror is probably more your speed. They even have a storyline for those who need one to make their horror worth watching. Apparently there was a crime syndicate who did human experiments at Torture Co., and after the company was destroyed they went underground, but didn’t stop their torture. It’s the only adult only (no one under 18) haunted house in the southeast. I did horror and even I’m a little dubious about this one. But if you want to go big or go home, this might be your spot.

Another haunted space with a story is Containment, a quarter-mile long that opens Friday at Atlantic Station. Their story involves some demon artifacts that were scattered around the area when a train carrying them derailed. I know absolutely nothing about this one, since it’s brand new, but it certainly sounds like one you might want to check out if you’re in the area. While you’re there you can go to IKEA – which is really the only reason to visit Atlantic Station right now. Maybe this haunted house can change this!

If you want to do the outside thing and enjoy the (hopefully) cool weather, there are a couple outside haunted trails that I’ve found. The one in Stockbridge is called Fear the Woods, and has things like haunted hayrides through the woods, a haunted barn; something called a skinner shack, a zombie paintball hayride (which sounds somewhat interesting) and apparently a headless horseman. I have to admit, I was a bit thrown off because of the poor grammar on their website, but I guess it’s not required to scare me. Maybe it helps in the process!

The other outside attraction is called Scream on the Trail, and I have to admit, it worries me a bit. They stress over and over that you shouldn’t participate if you have trouble breathing or a heart condition. They also say you can’t bring weapons or cell phones, which also worries me, because it makes me they want to do something horrible to me and hinder my ability to call for help. Also, you can’t strike the characters. Ummm… is that a problem usually? Their storyline involves a dead child and a despondent farmer, but to be honest the “history” wasn’t keeping my interest, so I quit reading. I don’t personally have high hopes for this one, but it might be a beginner haunted trail to start with.

But right now you’ve only got four Saturdays until Halloween; you’d better start getting tickets now!